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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. object — an aim
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. field — a subject
  5. spell — a short time
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. rule — a law
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. lean — thin
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. object — to protest
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. object — a thing
  18. rule — government
  19. field — farmland
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. field — for sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com